Tuesday 12 November 2013

Wintery Wonderfulness

Deliciousness! Winter is here. And what, oh you lovely pudding connoisseurs, does Winter equal? PUDDING! This may not be the healthiest time of year, but by Jingo it is the tastiest! Crumbles, muffins, sundaes, tarts, pies, and cakes!1456926_10152055834262774_37534737_n

Costa have brought out the legendary Gingerbread Muffin again. This is simply divine and I feel I have waited a whole year for this moment. Sweet, spicy, sticky, cakey, deliciousness! And the little gingerbread man is just cute.

Costa also have a Sticky Toffee Muffin to tempt you if Gingerbread just isn’t your bag. That is also a little 1415797_10152036691722774_1441274476_ncakey gem of deliciousness, and can and should be used on those days where Winter just isn’t filling you with the joys of Spring (Ba-bum-tissss).

Homemade Marvels

This Winter so far I have enjoyed homemade Bakewell Tart made by my talented and warm hearted Grandma. It992548_10152058132212774_1982389541_n was my first Sunday back home in a long time, and thusly my Grandma decided she would cook me a Sunday Roast, and for pudding she produced this golden pastry encased jewel of almondy jammy dessertfulness. The texture of Bakewell Tart is like no other, chewy yet cakey yet crumbly yet light. A treat for the palette! Apple Crumble with Salted Caramel Carte D’or Ice-cream. OM NOM NOMMITY NOM. This ice cream was made to be eaten with fresh hot crumble. However, I must admit it was a bit sickly. Sickly but definitely delicious. Salted caramel seems to be a very Chic theme in 2013. I enjoyed a Salted Caram1388520_10151987619762774_410680230_nel Millionaires Shortbread Brownie with my beloved at “The Green Man” pub in Harborne, Birmingham. This was, as the name suggests, also a sickly concoction of sexy tastiness. I mean just look at it! It was warm and cloying, stick to the roof of your mouth kind of sweet. And yet, these are the kind of puds that in my mind are the most naughty, the most desirable. And I feel as though I have really had something special and different when I eat them! If you fancy SHARING a dessert (yes I said it!) then this is a definite one for you, a very different and very delicious treat that if halved, might not make you feel as sickly sweet!

Other treasures I feel I should share with you:

  • Rocky Road Sundae from the Harvester- cakey, creamy, cold, hot, gooey delight!
  • Stem Ginger Pudding with Custard. Now this was from a lovely little Evangelical Church run cafe in Bilton village, Rugby. This pudding was a very welcome treat, and was uniquely spicy and inviting, on a cold November day. The kind of pudding that warms your very cockles.
  • Peanut Butter M’N’Ms! A REVELATION! My colleague went to America on a holiday and surprised me with these beauties. Forget Peanut M’N’M’s! Peanut BUTTER is where it is at! They are to be eaten sparingly mind! But there is something about the creamy salty savoury centre encased in the sweet colourful shell that is totally and utterly moorish!

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Friday 11 October 2013

Mary Berry’s Lemon Cheesecake on a Ginger Crust- Guest Post by Hannah Wood :-) [HOW TO MAKE]

 

Date:

Background: Any shift Hannah and I work together usually has a period of time dedicated to chatting about pudding, baking, Mary Berry or Paul Hollywood (The Silver Fox). So whenever Hannah tells me about a delicious pudding/cake/dessert she has made, I always ask her if she would like to write a guest blog post! And I must admit, I really really want to eat this cheesecake!!

What: Lemon Cheesecake on a Ginger Crust

Ingredients:

  • 100 grams Gingernut Biscuits
  • 50 grams Butter melted
  • 500 grams Mascarpone Cheese
  • 325 grams Lemon Curd
  • 1 Lemon juice
  • Blueberries fresh for decorating
  • Raspberries fresh for decorating

Method:

  1. Grease and base line with parchment a 20cm loose bottom cake tin.
  2. Crush biscuits and Mix with the butter in a bowl, then press into the base of the tin (but not up the sides)
  3. Put the mascarpone, lemon curd, and lemon juice in a bowl and beat with a spatula until smooth.
  4. Spoon on to the biscuit base and level the top.
  5. Chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours to firm up. To serve, remove the cheesecake from the tin, peel off the baking parchement, and arrange on a platter. Decorate with the fruit and dust with icing sugar.

What was Good: It's incredibly easy to make and tastes amazing

What was Bad: I would definitely use more biscuits because I like a thicker base Winking smile

Would I Make It Again: Definitely make again!

Waffle-O-Meter:

WAFFLEWAFFLEWAFFLEWAFFLEWAFFLE half

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